Many types of storage cases and storage racks have been developed for holding music containers adapted to protect and cover media (such as cassette tapes, compact disks, and the like) on which music has been recorded. Traditional storage devices for music containers are designed to store as many containers as possible in the smallest amount of space. Typically, such storage containers allow only an edge of the music container to be viewable when held within the storage container. Therefore, music containers have been developed to include an identifying edge which is visible when the container is held by the storage device.
Although traditional storage units for music containers provide space-efficient locations for storing such containers, there are several problems that have yet to be adequately addressed. On virtually all music-containing devices, a form of artwork is provided on a front cover portion of the a particular storage device. Such front cover portions typically involve the largest area on the container and therefore provide the best locations for such artwork. It is common for the listeners of a particular piece of music to develop, almost immediately, an association between the particular music and the artwork displayed on the front cover portion of the music container. Most music vendors appreciate this visual connection between the music and the artwork on the front cover portion. Music is commonly sold in bins with vertical dividers to hold a number of music containers. The music containers rest on their respective bottom edges and, as such, can be pivoted back and forth to view adjacently positioned music containers and the artwork displayed on the front covers.
The artwork on the front covers of music containers is often aesthetically pleasing to the purchaser. Not only does the purchaser buy the music held by the container, but the artwork displayed on the front side as well. Prior storage devices for music have failed to allow the listener of the music to display the artwork on the front cover. Not only have traditional storage devices failed to provide a way to display the cover portions, but they have in fact been designed to hide the front cover portions based on the very manner in which they are held by the storage device.
Still another problem with respect to traditional storage devices is that they do not provide an ability to display the artwork on the cover of the storage container corresponding to the music being played. Many compact disk players have carrousels that allow the listener to place multiple compact disks inside the carrousel for sequential listening. Traditional storage devices for music containers require the containers to be reinserted into slots which again cover the artwork associated with the music being played. Traditional storage devices have failed to provide the listener with an ability to display the artwork associated with the music being played at the time the music is being played.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to develop a storage and display rack apparatus that allows the artwork associated with a music container to be displayed by the listener. There is a further need to develop a visual display apparatus that allows the music listener to display artwork associated with music containers in a room or area where the music is being played. There is further a need to provide a visual display rack that allows presentation of the music container artwork on a wall so as to minimize vertical shelf storage space required for such music containers. Another need exists with respect to providing a display rack apparatus that allows the listener to display the particular artwork covers associated with the music being played in a stereo or other music-playing device.